Verstappen dominates the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while Bearman impresses on debut

Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024/Red Bull Content Pool

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing extended his dominant run in the 2024 Formula 1 season with a commanding victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 9. The Dutch driver secured his ninth consecutive win, further solidifying his lead in the championship standings. Verstappen's flawless performance at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit saw him finish the race in 1:20:43.273, a significant 13.643 seconds ahead of his Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari completed the podium, finishing third 18.639 seconds behind Verstappen.

Check out the results of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, including the race results, qualifying times, and practice sessions

The race, characterized by low tyre degradation and a crucial early safety car deployment, saw limited on-track drama. The most notable incident occurred on lap 7 when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin suffered a suspension failure, leading to a high-speed crash at Turn 22. Stroll emerged unscathed, but the safety car period prompted a flurry of pit stops, with most drivers opting for hard tyres to reach the end of the race.

The Aston Martin driver emerged unscathed from the crash but, with the error, not only threw away a potential points finish but also eliminated any chance of completing the race.

Verstappen said after the race finished: "I think overall it was a fantastic weekend, for the whole team but also for me, I felt really good with the car in qualifying and it was basically the same in the race."

Charles Leclerc completed the podium, finishing third despite a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release. The Ferrari driver managed to fend off Sergio Perez at the start but couldn't match the Red Bull Racing’s pace over the race distance.

Although Perez had a five-second penalty due to an unsafe release during his pit stop, he finished the race with an 18.6-second lead over the Ferrari, which allowed him to comfortably maintain his second-place position

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari said after race: "We had quite a good pace because we had the fastest lap at the end and I got a bit helped by having DRS, but overall the feeling was pretty good, it was a bit of a boring race because Red Bull were a bit too quick and behind we had a bit of a gap, but we took the maximum points we could today and that is the target."

During the race, much attention was directed towards Charles Leclerc's stand-in, Oliver Bearman, who made his F1 debut.

The debut of 18-year-old Oliver Bearman, who stepped in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari was one of the standoud stories from the weekend. Sainz was sidelined due to an emergency appendectomy, giving Bearman an unexpected opportunity. The young Briton did not disappoint, securing a commendable points finish in his first F1 race in 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Oliver Bearman, starting from 11th on the grid, secured a seventh-place finish ahead of fellow Britons Norris and Hamilton during the race's final ten laps.

The race's strategic complexity was highlighted by the timing of the pit stops under the safety car, which played a crucial role in the final outcomes. Teams had to decide between pitting for hard tyres immediately or staying out longer on mediums, a decision that could save or lose valuable seconds depending on track position and traffic.

Oscar Piastri clinched fourth place for McLaren, while Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin rounded out the top five by finishing fifth.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes teammates, finished sixth and ninth, respectively. Lando Norris secured the eighth position, and Nico Hulkenberg of Haas took tenth place, earning one point for his team.

With this victory, Verstappen continues to assert his dominance in the 2024 season, making him the clear favorite for the championship as the series heads to the next race in Australia.

The next race is in Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne, Australia on March 24.

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